Islamic New Year 2026:
Al-Hijra — Meaning, History & How to Mark It
Your complete guide to the Islamic New Year (Al-Hijra) — its meaning, the story of the Prophet’s ﷺ migration, why the Hijri calendar begins with it, the 2026 (1448 AH) date, authentic duas, and the scholarly view on how a Muslim should mark this sacred occasion.
When Is the Islamic New Year 2026?
The Islamic New Year 1448 AH begins on 1 Muharram, expected around June 16, 2026 on the Gregorian calendar — the exact date is confirmed by official moon sighting (Hilal) announcements in each country and may shift by a day.
🌙 Moon Sighting Disclaimer: The date above is based on astronomical calculation. The confirmed date depends on the official crescent moon (Hilal) sighting announced by your country’s Islamic authority — Pakistan’s Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court, and equivalent bodies elsewhere. Always follow your local mosque or national authority for the verified date.
What Is the Islamic New Year?
The Islamic New Year — known in Arabic as Al-Hijra (الهجرة) or Ras as-Sanah al-Hijriyyah (رأس السنة الهجرية), “the head of the Hijri year” — falls on 1 Muharram, the first day of the twelve-month Islamic Hijri lunar calendar.
Unlike the Gregorian New Year, the Islamic New Year does not commemorate a birth, a coronation, or an astronomical event. It commemorates the Hijrah — the migration of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his companions from Makkah to Madinah in 622 CE, escaping years of persecution to establish the first free Muslim community.
This is why the calendar is called the Hijri calendar and each year is denoted AH — Anno Hegirae, “in the year of the Hijrah.” The year 2026 CE corresponds to the transition from 1447 AH to 1448 AH.
“Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve months in the register of Allah [from] the day He created the heavens and earth.”
Surah At-Tawbah 9:36 · Quran.com/9/36The Arabic root h-j-r (هجر) means “to leave, abandon, or migrate from.” Hijrah specifically refers to the Prophet’s ﷺ migration from Makkah to Madinah — leaving persecution behind for a place of safety and religious freedom.
“…and the true emigrant (Muhajir) is one who leaves what Allah has forbidden.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 10 · Verify on Sunnah.comThe Hijrah: The Journey That Defined a Calendar
Thirteen years after the start of revelation, persecution against the small Muslim community in Makkah had become unbearable. What followed was one of the most consequential journeys in human history.
After receiving revelation, the Prophet ﷺ and his small community faced boycott, torture, and rejection in Makkah for thirteen years, with early Muslims like Bilal (RA) and the family of Yasir (RA) enduring severe persecution.
Delegations from Yathrib (later Madinah) pledged allegiance to the Prophet ﷺ in two agreements, inviting the Muslims to migrate and offering protection.
The Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr (RA) left Makkah secretly, hiding for three days in the Cave of Thawr while Quraysh search parties hunted for them, before completing the journey to Yathrib.
On arrival, the Prophet ﷺ established Masjid Quba — the first mosque in Islamic history — and the city was renamed Madinat an-Nabi, “the City of the Prophet.”
The Prophet ﷺ drafted the Constitution of Madinah — establishing rights, responsibilities, and coexistence between Muslims and the city’s Jewish tribes, widely regarded as one of history’s earliest written constitutions.
Roughly seventeen years later, Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) formally established the Hijrah as Year 1 of the Islamic calendar — and Muharram, already the traditional first month, became the start of every Hijri year.
Why Does the Calendar Start With the Hijrah — Not the Prophet’s ﷺ Birth?
This is one of the most asked questions about the Islamic New Year, and the companions’ own reasoning reveals a profound principle about what Islam considers worth commemorating.
His birth was a private, personal event with no organised community yet formed around it — it did not mark a communal transformation.
The first revelation in the Cave of Hira began Prophethood, but Islam was still a private, persecuted conviction — not yet a lived society.
The migration marked the point Islam became a functioning community — with a mosque, legal system, social contract, and sovereignty. The companions agreed this was the true turning point.
By choosing struggle and sacrifice for faith over celebration of a birth, the companions taught that Islam honours action and perseverance over personality worship.
Scholars such as Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani note that this decision also carried a subtle but important theological message: the Hijrah represents the eternal Muslim principle of prioritising faith and community over comfort and homeland — a lesson every Muslim can draw upon at the start of each new Hijri year.
Hijri Calendar vs. Gregorian Calendar
Understanding how the Islamic calendar differs from the solar calendar explains why the Islamic New Year falls on a different Gregorian date every year.
| Feature | Hijri (Islamic) Calendar | Gregorian Calendar |
|---|---|---|
| Basis | Lunar — sighting of the crescent moon | Solar — Earth’s orbit around the sun |
| Year length | 354–355 days | 365–366 days |
| Number of months | 12 months of 29 or 30 days | 12 months of 28–31 days |
| Start point (Year 1) | 622 CE — the Hijrah | Traditional birth year of Jesus (Anno Domini) |
| Seasonal alignment | Shifts ~11 days earlier each year; cycles all seasons every ~33 years | Fixed to seasons every year |
| New Year 2026 | 1 Muharram 1448 AH ≈ June 16, 2026 | January 1, 2026 |
Because the Hijri year is roughly 11 days shorter than the Gregorian year, Islamic occasions like Ramadan, Hajj, and the Islamic New Year gradually move earlier through the Gregorian calendar year after year.
Is Celebrating the Islamic New Year Permissible?
This is a genuinely important question, and DuaForAll presents it with full transparency: there is no authentic hadith showing the Prophet ﷺ or his companions marked 1 Muharram with a festival. Here is the balanced scholarly view.
- Reflecting on the Hijrah and its lessons of sacrifice, patience, and trust in Allah
- Renewing sincere intentions (niyyah) for the year ahead
- Increasing worship — Muharram itself is one of the four sacred months
- Offering du’a-based well-wishes: “May Allah bless you in this Hijri year”
- Fasting the 9th and 10th of Muharram (Tasu’a and Ashura)
- Sincere tawbah (repentance) and a spiritual fresh start
- Festive parties, fireworks, or Eid-style celebration of 1 Muharram
- Treating the greeting itself as an obligatory ritual
- New Year’s Eve-style countdowns or gatherings
- Practices resembling other traditions’ new year customs
- Believing there is specific extra reward for “celebrating” rather than for the ordinary virtues of the sacred month
In short: the Islamic New Year is best marked with reflection and renewed worship, not celebration in the conventional sense. Since 1 Muharram falls within Muharram — one of the four sacred months — the entire month carries heightened spiritual weight regardless of the calendar transition itself.
Dua for the Islamic New Year
A beautiful narration from the companions provides Muslims with a dua to recite at the start of a new Hijri month or year — asking Allah for security, faith, and a year pleasing to Him.
“O Allah, bring this month upon us with security, faith, safety, Islam, and success in what You love and are pleased with.”
Narrated from Ibn Umar (RA) · A widely cited dua for the new lunar monthMany Muslims also increase istighfar (seeking forgiveness) at the year’s turn, recognising the year ahead as an unwritten page — an opportunity for a sincere fresh start rooted in taqwa.
Beyond the specific new-year dua, scholars encourage reciting general duas of guidance at every fresh beginning:
رَبِّ اجْعَلْنِي مُقِيمَ الصَّلَاةِ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِي
“My Lord, make me an establisher of prayer, and [many] from my descendants.”
— Surah Ibrahim 14:40
Five Lessons From the Hijrah for the Year Ahead
Leaving one’s home city with no guarantee of safety demanded total reliance on Allah, echoed in the Prophet’s ﷺ words to Abu Bakr in the Cave: “Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us.”
Thirteen years of persecution preceded the migration. Change and relief often come after sustained patience, not instantly.
The Ansar (Helpers) of Madinah shared their homes and wealth with the Muhajirun (Emigrants) — a model of sacrifice and solidarity for the Ummah in every era.
The Hijrah was undertaken purely to preserve faith. The new Hijri year is a natural moment to examine and purify one’s own intentions.
The Hijrah transformed hardship into the foundation of a thriving community — a reminder that new beginnings can carry lasting good.
The Muhajirun left homes, wealth, and family for their faith — a standard of commitment the Islamic New Year invites every Muslim to revisit.
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Frequently Asked Questions About the Islamic New Year
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The Islamic New Year is called Al-Hijra (الهجرة) or Ras as-Sanah al-Hijriyyah (رأس السنة الهجرية), meaning “the head of the Hijri year.” It marks 1 Muharram, the first day of the Islamic Hijri lunar calendar, and commemorates the Hijrah — the migration of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ from Makkah to Madinah in 622 CE.
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The Islamic New Year 2026, marking the start of 1448 AH, is expected on approximately June 16, 2026 (1 Muharram 1448), based on astronomical calculations. The exact date depends on official moon sighting (Hilal) announcements, which may shift the date by a day in different countries.
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Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) and the companions chose the Hijrah as the calendar’s starting point — not the Prophet’s ﷺ birth, the start of revelation, or his death — because the Hijrah represented the birth of the Muslim Ummah as an organised community with sovereignty, law, and the first mosque and constitution. It marked the point where Islam moved from private conviction to a lived, structured society.
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There is no authentic hadith showing the Prophet ﷺ or his companions celebrated 1 Muharram as a festival. The majority of scholars therefore advise against festive celebrations (parties, fireworks, ritualised greeting customs) as these were not practised by the Salaf. However, reflecting on the Hijrah, renewing one’s intentions, increasing worship, and offering sincere du’a-based well-wishes are all encouraged, since Muharram itself is a sacred, highly virtuous month.
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The Hijri calendar is purely lunar, with 12 months of 29 or 30 days totalling 354–355 days a year, based on moon sighting. The Gregorian calendar is solar, with 365–366 days. Because the Hijri year is about 11 days shorter, Islamic months and dates shift roughly 11 days earlier each Gregorian year, cycling through all seasons over approximately 33 years.
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The Hijrah was the migration of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his companions from Makkah to Madinah (then Yathrib) in 622 CE, undertaken after years of persecution. It was significant because it allowed the first Muslim community to establish itself with religious freedom, the first mosque (Quba), the Constitution of Madinah, and the social and legal foundations of the Ummah — marking the transition of Islam from a persecuted minority to an organised society.
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A well-known dua narrated from the companions for a new Hijri month is: “Allahumma ahillahu ‘alayna bil-amni wal-imani, was-salamati wal-Islam, wat-tawfiqi lima tuhibbu wa tarda” — “O Allah, bring this month upon us with security, faith, safety, Islam, and success in what You love and are pleased with.” Muslims are also encouraged to increase istighfar (seeking forgiveness) and make sincere du’a for the year ahead.
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The Hijri calendar was formally established by Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) around 17 AH (638 CE), after consulting the companions on which event should mark the start of the Muslim era. They agreed on the Hijrah of the Prophet ﷺ, and Muharram — already recognised as the first month in the pre-Islamic Arab lunar system — was confirmed as the first month of the new calendar.
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Scholars broadly permit du’a-based greetings such as “Islamic New Year Mubarak” (blessed new year) as an expression of good wishes, provided it is not treated as an obligatory ritual or festival practice. The most meaningful greeting reflects the spirit of Muharram: reminding one another to fast, repent, and renew good intentions, rather than festive greetings alone.
Verify & Learn Further
All hadith and Quranic references cited on this page can be verified through the following trusted Islamic scholarly sources:
Dua for the New Hijri Year
“O Allah, bring this month upon us with security, faith, safety, Islam, and success in what You love and are pleased with.”
May Allah accept our worship and grant every reader a year of guidance, ease, and closeness to Him. Ameen.
Written by Muhammad Iqbal · Reviewed by Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Farouk · See our Editorial Standards
Content verified against authenticated hadith collections (Bukhari, Muslim) and the Seerah. For personal fatwa or specific rulings, consult a qualified Islamic scholar.
Last updated: July 2026 · DuaForAll.com